Cauterize
by Dough-verload
Summary: It had been three days since the battle with the Red Death and things were not looking any brighter than when Stoick had first listened to the hesitant tha-thump of his son's heart after Toothless had rescued him from certain death.


Cauterize

Ripping, tearing, unprecedented agony; with each wave of it his body convulsed, right leg writhing against the wood while the left stayed limp. Blood pooled around the inert limb, some of the substance already dried on the table. It trickled down from where the bone had protruded just beneath his knee, creating trails like red ribbons. With each layer of bandages peeled away from his bloody leg more and more of the gruesome damage was revealed. His calf was skinned, infected muscle shining sickly beneath the oldest layer of gauze. Two of the toes were burnt beyond recognition and the rest were tipped with gangrenous skin. What part of the limb that wasn't singed or smeared with his blood was red and swollen. He could feel no sensation below the knee except for pain: An all-consuming anguish.

There was no stopping the spread of infection and any hope of keeping Hiccup's leg was lost.

It had been three days since the battle with the Red Death and things were not looking any brighter than when Stoick had first listened to the hesitant tha-thump of his son's heart after Toothless had rescued him from certain death. The Vikings, working together with an ally they never expected, had managed to fashion a single boat out of the wrecked fleet to get the injured back to Berk. With Toothless never leaving his side, Hiccup was looked after by Stoick and Astrid aboard the ship. Several of his ribs were cracked and his collarbone dipped unnaturally (the result of ramming into the heavily armored tail of the Red Death) but the worst of his injuries was his left leg. Toothless had managed to save his life but had to bite down into the leg in order to pull him close during the free-fall, and even then he couldn't shield all of Hiccup from the flames around. The fire into which he and his human had plummeted inadvertently cauterized the bite wounds but it had also licked away the flesh close to his foot, exposing the tender tissue and muscles beneath. The leg should have been removed the moment they had arrived back in Berk, but three days later and Stoick was still keeping them from taking that piece of his son away. He was convinced the leg could be saved, but as layer-by-layer of gauze was removed that belief was slowly shattered.

"He's suffering, Stoick. This leg will kill 'im now unless we take it off." Gobber said as he threw aside the soiled gauze. He methodically wiped away the blood and pus that had accumulated overnight, his eyes filled with worry at the condition the leg was in. He could smell the rot even past the stench of healing herbs and poultices that had been applied. Hiccup cried out as another tidal wave of pain washed over him, back arching off the surface of the table and teeth grinding together as he tried to fight off an enemy that could not be defeated. By his side Toothless released a worried whine deep within his throat, nudging his human gently and nipping at the tunic in an attempt to comfort. Astrid knelt down by Hiccup's head, smoothing back the hair from his sweaty forehead and whispering soothing words. The boy's green eyes were half-lidded and glassy with fever. He writhed atop the table, whimpering and crying out as the pain overwhelmed him. His fingernails etched lines in the wood, cracking with the pressure he placed on them. "We've tried everything but none of it 'as worked. This is the only option now."

"I will not cripple my own son, Gobber." Stoick replied harshly, planting his palms down on the bloody table.

"Then you will lose 'im just like you lost Val." It was a harsh truth that Gobber spoke, but those words were the only ones that could sway the chief's stubborn mind. Stoick opened his mouth as if to speak but only a breath escaped. His hands shook down at his sides and his eyes were furrowed down with frustration and guilt at his suffering son who looked back up at him with a hint of recognition through the haze of pain and fever. His fingers twitched towards his father and Stoick took the hand in his own, rubbing circles on the back of it with his calloused thumb. Silent sobs wracked his son's broken body; his right leg constantly sliding against the table while the left was unmoved… or unmovable.

There was nothing else that could be done. Stoick had wasted three days with his stubbornness. Three days of ache for Hiccup. Three days of waiting for Astrid and toothless. Three days for infection to take hold and spread.

The Chief of Berk nodded and that was all that it took. Gobber had Astrid lead Toothless from the room, lest the dragon lose control at the sight of them cutting into his rider. The creature complied with a silent knowing in his eyes, lying down beside the door with a whimper. The poor creature still registered Hiccup's pain as his fault and there was little Astrid could say or do to convince him otherwise. She could not communicate with Toothless like Hiccup could, no one could. The two shared a bond that could not be replicated. They survived only because of each other; so what would happen to Toothless if Hiccup didn't make it?

"Astrid, we need ye'." Gobber sounded from inside the room.

"Yeah." She ran her fingers along Toothless' back and rubbed his scaly head gently, faking a smile in hopes of encouraging the creature. It did little for him and he curled in on himself as Astrid left and closed the door behind her. She approached the table and took her place by Hiccup's head, gently running her fingers through his damp hair and wiping down his head with a cool rag. From her humble position by the table the Elder Gothi handed Astrid a mug filled to the brim with a strong mix of herbs to numb down pain and she managed to coax some of the mix down Hiccup's throat, careful not to force it upon him too quickly lest he vomit it back up. It was a primitive form of pain-relief but it was the best that they could do for him at the moment. He gulped it down greedily, some of the drink spilling from the corners of his cracked lips. Astrid pulled the cup away occasionally but managed to get half of the brew into him before passing the mixture back to Gobber who slowly trickled the rest of it over Hiccup's leg. It splashed into the gaping wound where the bone had punctured through the skin of his leg and over the burned section of his calf.

"Mmffghh!" Hiccup bit back the scream that tore from his throat, thrashing his body away from what was causing him so much pain. Stoick held him down the best he could while Astrid tried to calm him. Vomit rose in the back of his throat and she barely managed to turn his head before he retched out what little substance there was in him. A moan slipped from his lips as his stomach continued to heave even when there was nothing left to expel, bile dripping from his lips onto the floor.

So much for the herbs.

Astrid straightened his head and took one of his hands in her own. He tightened his grip around her fingers without hesitation, the skin over his knuckles stretched to white. Gobber looked to her for approval to move on and she bit her lip and nodded quickly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as she pressed her forehead against his and muttered a prayer. The faster this was done the better. With his own father holding him down, the Elder at his side, his teacher preparing a knife, and Astrid watching over him, the first cut was made.

Despite the poor condition of his throat Hiccup managed another hoarse scream, his back arching against the wood despite their efforts to keep him still. As the edge of the blade cut through skin, muscle, tendons, and bone Hiccup continued to cry out, his choked yells morphing into sobs and pleads for them to stop, to make the pain go away. Astrid lowered her head so that her forehead touched his own and tried to comfort him through the pain, forcing him to look at her and only her. From outside the room Toothless whined and pushed against the door, stopped from barging in only by his own understanding that what was happening could not be prevented. His claws dug into the floor, blue flame seeping nervously from the corners of his mouth as he listened to his human's agonized shouts.

The knife broke through the last of Hiccup's leg and scraped against the table beneath him. By then the pain had forced him into oblivion and he lay unconscious on the wood, his grip on Astrid's hand falling limp. She stroked his hair gently and watched as Gobber cleaned the leg with more of the herbal mixture before cauterizing it with the flat end of an axe that had rested in the fireplace through the procedure. More liquid was sloshed over the stump and the Elder stepped forward to wrap it in a length of clean gauze, the smell of burning flesh heavy in the air. Stoick had backed away from his son with a pale expression, surrendering a weary sigh to the room.

It had to be done.

Gothi motioned to the door and Stoick nodded, opening it to allow himself out of the house and into fresh air. As soon as the door was cracked Toothless bolted into the room and next to Hiccup, releasing a series of concerned chirps. He nuzzled his human gently, wary of the smell that seeped from the stump where his human's leg had once been. His large eyes focused on the face of his rider and gleamed with anticipation as he simply waited for Hiccup to open his eyes. It was as if the creature already knew that Hiccup would be okay and Stoick could only wish he had the same hope. The Viking stole a final glance into the room before stepping from the doorway and into the chilled night air outside where the wind would hopefully drive the doubts from his mind. Gobber followed him soon after and Gothi too left the room after giving careful instruction to Astrid on how to care for Hiccup until his father or Gobber returned.

Fingers of light from the fire danced across the dragon, his rider, and the shield-maiden. Astrid remained standing over Hiccup, gently wiping the sweat from his face and neck while Toothless managed to nuzzle his head beneath the limp hand that Astrid was holding during the procedure. From the warmth of the room these two watched over what they considered most dear and from the cold air outside a chief offered to the gods anything for the life of his son while his friend rested one good hand upon his shoulder.

Odin heard many prayers that night, and when morning came and Hiccup was still breathing he heard even more.


End file.
